Algol
Algol (アルゴル Arugoru) is a character in the Soul series of fighting games and the main antagonist in Soulcalibur IV. He can be played like other standard characters, but must be unlocked by defeating him in Story Mode. He appears as one of the final bosses along with Siegfried and Nightmare. Algol has also returned for the portable version of Soulcalibur IV: Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny, along with the next main series game: Soulcalibur V.What lies in his soul is'' Absolution.'' In Soulcalibur V's promotional material he is referred to as "The Great Hero King" Character Overview: In the words of Hideo Yoshie, the main character designer of Soulcalibur IV, Algol is "a character that obviously proves the setting of being the strongest character ever in SC series". Algol's costume originates from a culture so ancient that it was not recorded in history, and the designer says it was very difficult to design it for that reason. The "bird" was decided to be the final motif of Algol's armor, although there were many other ideas such as the lion and dinosaur. A black tattoo of an eye is visible on his chest if his middle armor is shattered. His nails are long, almost talon-like, following the bird theme. Algol is seen on the opening video with brown hair and blue eyes, showing him in his living human form. Despite appearing malevolent, craving power, and playing a somewhat antagonistic role, Algol still possesses a noble soul and is willing to help others. In Sophitia's ending, he saves her from Soul Edge's corruptive wrath and protects her children from the sword, sympathetic towards her situation since his own son suffered the same fate (see below). Many of the good and neutrally-aligned characters spare Algol in their endings, stating that they have come for the swords, and that he is not evil. Appearance: In his debut appearance, he appeared as a man of peak Olympian physique, thick eyebrows and long, black hair tied together in a set of accented braids each ending in a sharp hair piece. Ancient tattoos were also adorned on his torso and he bore a large scar on the left side of his face. Following his resurrection, his hair became a pure white and his eyes became a glowering yellow and also possessed long fingernails while his hands constantly emit a red and blue aura, right and left, respectively, due to the power of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur coursing through his veins. His arms also bear distinct large scars which open up to reveal the weapons hidden in his body. He can also change his hands into the forms of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur as well as a pair of energy cannons. Design-wise, Algol was designed in mind to be a character whose wardrobe was so ancient that it was not recorded in history. History: Algol, also known as "The Hero King," was able to obtain Soul Edge and, with an indomitable will, avoided being controlled by it. According to the legend, he used the sword to spread peace among the lands. His son, Arcturus, jealous of his father's power, took Soul Edge, unaware of its malevolent properties, and was possessed. Algol battled and defeated his son with a fatal strike. Remorseful after his son's death, Algol desired to create a sword to counter the evil within Soul Edge. The legend says that, using purified shards obtained from the battle with his son and the assistance of various sages, Algol was able to create Soul Calibur after many failed attempts and the sacrifice of his own life. However, the "successful" ritual produced unexpected results: the blade created was extremely similar in nature to Soul Edge due to the restlessness in Algol's soul. The tribe that was tasked with the protection of the new sword slowly purified it, sealing the Hero King's soul, keeping his thirst for power dormant over the centuries. During the immense surge of power released when the cursed sword and the spirit sword clashed, Algol's soul, then formless, was able to absorb a small fraction of the energy. With what little he gained, he built himself a body fashioned after his older one, as well as a tower, which he deemed the "Tower of Remembrance", to reside in. Algol knew that it all would not last—once the power he absorbed had been used up, everything he had created would disappear like a mirage. He needed to obtain the swords if he intended to remain a reality. The Tower of Remembrance's sudden appearance would draw warriors to him. The swords, he knew, must be amongst them. Forging himself weapons based on memories of the cursed sword and the spirit sword, he waited patiently for the first arrivals. Soulcalibur V Always a man in search of a conquest, Algol now has placed his eyes on taking over the real world by corrupting it with the energy of the Astral Chaos. In trying to do so, he's attempting to control the energies of the realm, which forms his ethereal body. Edge Master is the only one who notices this "corruption" going on, and has entered the Chaos to fight the Hero King. However, he's not sure he can keep up with him, even if going all-out. Personality Algol is a serious and honorable individual, he holds a deep hatred of those who created the demonic sword,Soul Edge. Since the sword was responsible for cursing the soul of his son, Arcturus, Algol was forced to kill his son. Because of that, Algol became an angry and vengeful man, wishing only to destroy the cursed sword and those that follow it. Weapons *Stream of Power *Stream of Power (Thought) *Stream of Power (Crave) *Stream of Power (Eternity) *Stream of Power (Hopeless) *Stream of Power (Awakening) *Soul Edge& Soul Calibur *Soul Edge & Soul Calibur (Violet Vortex) *Soul Edge & Soul Calibur (Green Vortex) *Soul Edge & Soul Calibur (Yellow Vortex) *Soul Edge & Soul Calibur (Red Vortex) *Soul Edge & Soul Calibur (White Vortex) *Soul Edge & Soul Calibur (Pink Vortex) Fighting Style Algol's moveset revolves around strong, fast, close combat attacks and powerful special combos. The purple bubble projectiles are used in conjunction with attacks or movements to occupy, juggle, or otherwise set up the opponent for a powerful combo. When the CPU uses Algol, his projectiles gain homing abilities. He is equipped with a variety of moves to keep enemies within melee distance, including the aforementioned teleportation move, a forward leap (which can be supplemented by various attacks), and an attack throw which automatically hits if the opponent is backstepping. In Soulcalibur IV, Algol is banned in most tournaments due to his fighting style of over used juggles & combos that frustrates or annoys the player. In Soulcalibur V however, he is now playable in tournaments, as effective gameplay with him requires heavy use of the gauge. Soulcalibur IV Ending: Algol defeats Siegfried and claims Soul Calibur, using his power to resurrect himself. However, even with his new body and power, he is unable to undo the past. As the new sovereign of this world, he decides he must not look back, claiming he doesn't have that luxury. The text-only epilogue then says What the resurrected Algol aims to achieve is an eternal rule that will never die. QuotesEdit Soulcalibur IV *''I'll show you!'' *''Prepare yourself!'' *''Fighting'' is my all. It is my existence! *''Do not expect any mercy from me!'' *''Show me your strength!'' *''Raise your weapon and prepare to battle!'' *''It does not matter who you are. Let your blade answer for you.'' *''What do you hope to achieve? Pathetic fool.'' *''None will stand in my way. Stand down and join me!'' *''You value honor more than your own life? Very well.'' *''Your soul shall remain in my heart.'' *''Recklessness deserves no pity! — Spoken after ensuing a "Perfect!" *''Weak and inexperienced, but worthy nonetheless. ''— Spoken after victory with low HP. *''Rest. Embraced by the legend of the Demon Star! ''— Spoken after victory with a "Critical Finish!" *''That was quite entertaining. You have done well. ''— Spoken before fighting the player in a cinematic sequence. *''This shall be my first battle in ages. ''— Spoken before fighting the player in a cinematic sequence. *''You, are a worthy opponent. ''— Spoken before the fighting the player in a cinematic sequence. *''Strong one, you shall be the sacrifice of my resurrection! ''— Spoken before fighting the player in a cinematic sequence. *''I will destroy any who stand in my way! ''— Spoken in Story Mode. *''So, you seek power. Very well, try to seize it from me! — Spoken to Kilik, in Story Mode. *''You all still lack experience. There is more for you to learn. — Spoken after completing Stage I of Story Mode. *''Millennia has passed, but now it is time to reclaim what is mine! ''— Spoken to Nightmare, in Story Mode. *''You have served me well during my absence. ''— Spoken after completing Stage II of Story Mode. *''Time no longer holds any meaning. I am eternal! ''— Spoken to Zasalamel, in Story Mode. *''Did you think you could fool me with your tricks? ''— Spoken after completing Stage IV of Story Mode. *''That is the sword of my oath, my eternal memory. ''— Spoken to Siegfried, in Story Mode. *''The time has come for me to become whole once more! ''— Spoken after defeating Siegfried, in Story Mode. *''In this timeless place... ''— Spoken in his Story Mode ending. *''I shall become whole once again! — Spoken in his Story Mode ending. *''All I have desired is now within my hands. — Spoken in his Story Mode ending. *''This body, this power. ''— Spoken in his Story Mode ending. *''Everything, but... — Spoken in his Story Mode ending. *''I must not look back. — Spoken in his Story Mode ending. *''A true sovereign does not have that luxury. — Spoken in his Story Mode ending. *''All through the ages, a parent's love for their child surpasses any weapon. — Spoken to Sophitia, in her ending. *''But remember, if you are misguided in your beliefs, you will only bring harm to those you wish to protect. ''— Spoken to Sophitia, in her ending. *''Time is cruel. Even with all this power, I cannot undo the past. ''— Spoken to Sophitia, in her ending. *''Now, brave mother, return to your child. ''— Spoken to Sophitia, in her ending. *''Why do you hesitate? I don't need your mercy. ''— Spoken to Setsuka, in her ending. *''Impressive. You have shattered the power of this sword. ''— Spoken to Mitsurugi, in his ending. *''Now, take my power. Do with it as you please. ''— Spoken to Mitsurugi, in his ending. *''Well done. ''— Spoken to Mitsurugi, in his ending. *''It appears I could not control the power. ''— Spoken to Kilik, in his ending. *''Spare me your pity. — Spoken to Kilik, in his ending. *''I, Algol, have no regrets. — Spoken to Kilik, in his ending. *''Your power exceeds that of my own. ''— Spoken to Astaroth, in his ending. *''I am impressed! ''— Spoken to Astaroth, in his ending. *''You...you dare mock me? ''— Spoken to Cervantes, in his ending. *''My battle, my resurrection?! ''— Spoken to Cervantes, in his ending. *''My son... ''— Spoken to Talim, in her ending. *You would show mercy to your opponent? — Spoken to Yoshimitsu, in his ending. *''You dare mock me?! ''— Spoken to Yoshimitsu, in his ending. *''This is the end, now fall! *''Pathetic!'' *''This is...true power!'' *''You're mine!'' *''Begone!'' *''Foolish!'' *''Weak!'' *''Perish!'' *How exciting! *Not a chance! *Stop struggling! *You disappoint me! *Can you withstand this?! *Come, worthless dog! *How's this?! *''I need more power...'' Soulcalibur V *''I will teach you the way true kings fight.'' *''Your words will earn you no mercy.'' *''Sleep for eternity!'' - spoken before Critical Edge *''The mighty Algol has no equal!'' - spoken during Critical Edge *''You are... Nothing! ''- spoken when Taunting *''Interesting...'' - spoken when knocked out by Mitsurugi *''There must be an end''. - spoken when time runs out. *''Know my wrath!'' *''Afraid?'' *''Foolish.'' *''Stand down.'' *''Prove yourself.'' *''Brace yourself.'' *''Delightful!'' *''Attest.'' *''Is that it? Disappointing.'' *''This is... true power!'' *''Entertain me!'' *''Kneel... and surrender!'' *''Sleep.'' *''You are not my equal.'' *''I surpass... all humans.'' *''Accept your demise.'' *''Scatter to dust.'' *''Crawl to my feet and beg for mercy, mortal!'' *''Very soon now, all gods shall bow down to me!'' *''I find your failure amusing.'' *''Good and evil mean naught to me.'' *''What?!'' - spoken when hit by a tremor. *''How crude! - Spoken when ringed out. *''Become a part of me once again. ''- Spoken when fighting against Nightmare, αPatroklos, Elysium or Pyrrha Ω. *''Finally! The swords and I will become one! - ''spoken after defeating Nightmare, αPatroklos, Elysium or Pyrrah Ω. *''You dare challenge me? Foolish. ''- spoken when fighting against Mitsurugi. *''Inexperienced and weak! But still a worthy opponent. - Spoken after defeating Mitsurugi. *''You think you can beat me? ''- spoken when fighting against Edge Master. *''Brings back memories...'' - spoken when Edge Master wins a round against him. *''Stay, old man. You may prove of some use to me.'' - spoken after defeating Edge Master. *''Pitiful...!''- Spoken when ringed out. *''Swords of conflict... Return to me! -'' spoken when throwing Nightmare, α Patroklos, Elysium or Pyrrha Ω. *''There must be an end. ''- Spoken when losing a battle, when time runs out. *''You refuse to stand aside... - ''Spoken when losing a battle to Edge Master, when time runs out. Stage Edit Tower of Remembrance - Degradation (SCIV/SCBD)Edit Tower of Glory: Most Holy Dichotomy (SC5)Edit Theme MusicEdit Soulcalibur IV *"The Supreme Sword" *"Thanatos" Soulcalibur V *"Regalia" Tower Of Lost Souls Skills & Details Algol appears in Tower Of Lost Souls as the final boss of the Ascend Mode of the floor "Final Judgment" and oddly he also appears in descend mode in Floor 40. TOLS Ascend Mode: Final Judgment Skills On Final Judgment 1.Auto Unblockable Attack S 2.Soul Gauge Boost S 3.HP Drain S 4.Nullify Ring Out S Default Skills 1.Soul Repel 2.Impact Edge 3.Soul Gauge Damage A Skills On Descend Mode Fl.40 1.Auto Unblockable Attack A 2.Soul Gauge Boost A 3.HP Drain A 4.Nullify Ringout A Story Mode Final Boss Skills 1.Strong Impact 2.Will Power 3.Nullify Ring Out S Critical Finish Wasat Almeisan: Algol blasts his opponents into the air with bolts of energy from his hands. He then teleports above them, and punches them to the ground. Once they hit the ground, he ensures that they stay there by dropping his throne on top of them, and then sits on his throne, to patiently await the next arrival. Critical Edge Al Gamar Qahhar/Al Shams Qahhar: Unlike the other characters, Algol has two parts to his Critical Edge and both spend an entire gauge though it is one of the most powerful in the game as it can take off more than half of the receiver's health. He starts by raising his fist in the air and shouts "Sleep for eternity!", bringing down his throne on top of them, stunning them from the sheer weight of it. Performing the combination again while in this state will cause Algol to teleport on top of the throne and declare "The mighty Algol has no equal!", crossing his legs which causes the full weight of him and his throne to crush his opponent. Trivia Algol is also the name of the star system the original "Phantasy Star" series (1987-1994) takes place in.In Soulcalibur II's Weapon Master Mode, there is a city named after Algol (Chapter 9). In an extra chapter of the mode, his son, Arcturus, is also included as an ancient knight.In the fourth stage of Algol's Story Mode, Algol fights Arcturus, who is actually an illusion created by Zasalamel.Algol places high on most "tier lists" made by the tournament community, and is often banned from his tournaments due to his imbalanced power.Algol is one of two character's in the Soul series strong enough to successfully use Soul Edge without being affected by its malice (i.e. going insane, becoming a host, etc.), Talim is the only other character who can also wield Soul Edge without turning evil. However, Talim has yet to acquire Soul Edge in a canon storyline. In addition, all characters, including the good ones, can use Soul Edge without any insanity in Soulcalibur II.Algol appears several times in Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny's Quick Match mode. The most noteworthy one is the "Warrior King of 100 Swords", boasting an impressive 400 wins and zero losses.Jamieson Price, the English voice actor of Algol in Soulcalibur IV, also voices Lu Bu in Dynasty Warriors 5-7, Iron Tager in BlazBlue, Bi-Han (the original Sub-Zero/Noob Saibot) & the announcer in 2011's Mortal Kombat and Heihachi Mishima in Tekken: Blood Vengeance and Street Fighter X Tekken. He's also voiced the announcer in Super Street Fighter IV. Coincidentally he has voiced quite a few characters that Algol's Japanese voice actor (George Nakata) has. However, while George Nataka is the Japanese voice actor for Luxord from Kingdom Hearts II, his english voice actor is not Jameson Price, but instead, is Robin Atkin Downes.Coincidentally, Algol is similar to the Kingdom Hearts II character Xemnas. Both are powerfully built, have deep voices and white hair, levitate during combat, and conjure weapons from their palms and use projectiles and hand-to-hand combat. Also, they are both the final bosses of their respective games. While he doesn't utilize a throne in combat, a portion of Xemnas' boss fight features him sitting on a throne using nothing but his powers to attack, while wearing an armor with a crown.Algol bears a striking resemblance to Edgardo, a character that was originally meant to be introduced along with Tira, Setsuka, and Zasalamel in Soulcalibur III. Due to scheduling issues and time pressure, Edgardo's movelist was never completed. It's possible that his concept was later transformed into Algol. 1Algol's equipment is called "Hero King" equipment (eg. Hero King's Breastplate, Hero King's Bracelets), and his title is "Algol the Hero King".In Soulcalibur V, Algol's version of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur are the Soulcalibur IV versions instead of the Soulcalibur V version.Along with Ivy and Astaroth, Algol's outfit in Soulcalibur V is the third to feature a snake theme. Precisely, his shoulder cloth is held in place by a stylized cobra head.Algol's costume in Soulcalibur V is very similar to the costumes of Gill and Urien from the Street Fighter III games. Gameplay-wise, he is also similar to them due to his supernatural nature, as well as his ability to shoot projectiles. This mainly applies to Gill, as both have the ability to use "fire and ice" (in Algol's case, Soul Edge and Soul Calibur).Algol's character may have been inspired by the legendary Sumerian hero-king Gilgamesh. He is master of the Tower of Lost Souls which shares many thematic similarities with Namco's Tower of Druaga, which is itself based upon the Gilgamesh epic.While his main weapon is the Stream of Power, he is noted to also use his throne as a weapon in several of his moves (most notably his Critical Edge and Critical Finish moves). Etymology Algol is the name of a trinary star system in Perseus. It is Arabic for 'winking demon', and is named for the fact that β Persei B regularly eclipses β Persei A, so that the star appears to periodically brighten and dim. Relationships *Father of Arcturus, whom Algol was forced to kill while the youth was possessed by Soul Edge. *Created the spirit sword, Soul Calibur. *Fought Mitsurugi, but their fight was interrupted before it could be finished. *He had a rivalry with Edge Master back when he was still a mortal. Series' Appearances Soulcalibur IV (unlocked by defeating him in Story Mode)Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny (playable from the start)Soulcalibur V (Unlockable Characters) Category:Males Category:Characters